Today I will tell you part of our trip to the city of Ruse. Ruse is the fifth largest city in Bulgaria and the largest along the Danube. We traveled there by train and the trip was about 2 hours from Veliko Tarnovo to Ruse. We spent a day there so we could not visit all the sights in the city, but we visited many interesting places, which I will tell you about.
When we arrived we headed to the city center where we had breakfast and coffee. Then we took a long walk along the alley by the river and admired the view.
Danube river
We also boarded a boat for a trip on the river.
The Danube is the second longest river in Europe and the only large river in Europe that flows west-east. Also, the Danube is the river flowing through most countries in the world - 10. These are Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine. Dozens of large cities are located on the banks of the Danube, as well as 4 capitals - Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade and Bratislava.
The boat trip itself was extremely enjoyable. The trip is to the Danube Bridge and back, and the road is 24 km. It lasts an hour. There is a bar on the boat where you can have a cold drink to make the experience even more enjoyable. The price for a one-hour trip is 10 euros, which means that at a very affordable price you can walk and see the river from another point of view.
The Danube River serves as the border between Bulgaria and Romania. So during the trip you have great views from both countries. We saw a lot of other ships and cruise ships. The trips are made every day at a certain time. So everyone in Ruse has to board the ship Ruschuk and experience this amazing trip. Worth!
National transport museum
After the walk was over, we headed to the National Transport Museum, which was about 15 minutes from the boat. It is the only one of its kind in the country and is located in the building of the first railway station in the country.
The first line in the country was built in 1866 and was between Ruse and Varna. The museum is divided into two parts - indoors and outdoors.
The first part presents the main moments from the development of the railway transport in Bulgaria and the connection between the railway and the passenger shipping on the Danube river. There are really many exhibits on display. Scale models of locomotives, maps of railway transport, anchors, scale ships, uniforms, parts of ships and locomotives and many others are presented. There is something for everyone.
And the second part of the museum is even more interesting and impressive. Several steam locomotives and various wagons from the 19th and 20th centuries are presented. The personal wagon of Ferdinand I is also preserved. Some of the carriages are open and you can go in and see what the travel conditions were like so many years ago. We were especially impressed by the Sultan's carriage, which was impressively furnished. The museum building has been declared a historical monument, and exhibits from the museum participate in several Bulgarian films.
The Sultan's carriage
It was quite interesting to see all these exhibits and learn so much about transport. A stop not to be missed!
After the great visit we headed back to the river to have lunch and enjoy the view. I ate a great paella with seafood :)
And you will learn about the rest of the trip very soon! Hope you enjoyed!